Without Makeup
by majesticwolf27
Summary: When Suki questions Sokka on why he keeps Toph around, he realizes there is more to it than being kind. Tokka all the way. Cute Oneshot. Please R&R! T for minor swearing. *EDITED*


Without Make-Up

An Avatar: The Last Airbender Oneshot

I Own Nothing

Sokka stared at the letter in his hands and rolled his eyes. He picked up a brush and scribbled his own reply. He slipped the scroll back into Hawky's scroll-holder and sent the hawk to the other side of the couch. Suki pulled the scroll out of the container, read the letter, and stood up, throwing her fans on the table.

"Sokka, that is so not fair!" Sokka stood as well, glaring at his fiancé.

"Suki. You just broke up with me through Hawky, while sitting next to me!" Suki shook her head.

"I didn't break up with you...I just said that it makes more sense for you to stop traveling with Toph and come settle down in Kyoshi." Sokka suppressed a laugh, figuring it would not help his case.

"Suki, I made a promise to protect Toph." Suki rolled her eyes.

"You also made a promise to me. Or does this necklace mean nothing to you?" Sokka sat back down, the fight in him fading.

"Suki, I love you. You have to understand, I can't just abandon Toph. She's my best friend, and she has no one else." Suki sat down beside him, her anger still palpable, but rationality was bearing down on her.

"Sokka, I understand that she is your friend. But you need to understand. She does not see you as just a friend. She wants to be more. I think that all you are doing is encouraging her little fantasies." Sokka stared at Suki, a defiant look in his eyes.

"Suki, that isn't true. Toph doesn't...like people. Not like that." Suki threw her hands in the air and let out a cry of exasperation.

"Sokka, sometimes you can be so dense! You have an opportunity to be with me, and to be a Kyoshi warrior, and you want to play babysitter." Sokka stood up again, and glared at Suki.

"Look Suki, don't condescend me. Toph is my friend and I am not going to abandon her. If you want me, then you get Toph. We are a package deal!" Suki stood up and ripped the betrothal necklace from her neck.

"Fine! Enjoy being alone then! I'm not going to enter a marriage of three!" Suki stormed out of his house, and the door slammed shut with such force that a crack slid down the middle. Sokka glanced at Hawky, who had perched himself on the edge of the couch, and sighed.

"That didn't go so well." Hawky cocked his head to the side and chirped. "You're right. I need to talk to Toph." Hawky chirped again as Sokka left the house, closing the door gently behind him.

Toph skipped a rock across the small pond and blew her bangs out of her eyes. She sighed and flopped onto her back. She was clad in a green kimono that King Bumi had sent her. Although she would never admit it aloud, Toph kind of liked the feel of wearing a dress. Heavy footfalls alerted Toph to Sokka's presence. She blew at her bangs again as he sat down beside her. His confusion was palpable.

"Toph, are you awake?" he asked, his voice soft. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Are my eyes open?" She grunted, faking annoyance at his presence. Sokka laughed.

"Toph, you've been known to fall asleep with them open." Feeling embarrassed, Toph raised a finger towards the sky.

"Isn't that a beautiful bird?" she asked. Toph laughed as she felt Sokka shift to look. His sigh caused her to cease her laughing. "What's wrong Snoozles?" she asked, truly concerned for her friend.

"Someone said something to me, and I keep trying to figure out if it's true." Toph felt her stomach tighten, but she assured herself that after five years, Suki probably hadn't betrayed Toph's slip-up at Serpent's Pass.

"Oh? What did they say?" Sokka sighed and leaned back into the grass beside her. Toph shivered at his closeness and then chastened herself; she was not the kind of girl that got weak-kneed around a guy. Toph knew she wasn't fooling herself; she was gaga for Sokka, no denying it.

"They told me that the World's Greatest Earthbender was in love with me." he whispered. Toph tensed and rolled away from him.

"Why would someone tell you something like that?" she questioned, mentally deciding to kill Suki.

"I don't know. But they felt really strongly about it. I just wanted to hear it from you." Toph felt her stomach tighten even further, and she bit her bottom lip. There was no way she could admit her feelings to him.

"Sokka, do we really need to discuss this?" Sokka stayed where he was and stared up at the sky.

"Yeah Toph, I think we do. How come you don't live with Aang and Katara?" Toph snorted; that was an easy one to lie her way out of.

"Twinkle-toes and Sugar-queen are expecting a child. Would you want to be around them?" Sokka stared at Toph for a beat before shrugging.

"I suppose not. Why not go live in Ba Sing Se?" Toph shifted.

"I don't want to. Why does it matter Sokka? Does Suki want me to leave?" It was Sokka's turn to shift uncomfortably. Toph gasped. "Oh my-that bitch! I have every right to travel with you if you want me to!" Sokka put his hands up and sighed.

"I didn't say that. Look, I just want to know if what I was told was true." Toph turned and glared at him.

"What do you think?" Sokka stood and stepped close to Toph, his head tilted down to gaze evenly into her unseeing eyes.

"I think you do." Toph's nostrils flared.

"What the hell makes you think you're so privileged?" she challenged, inwardly thinking that her days of traveling and living with Sokka were over. Sokka gripped her chin in one hand.

"You've never left my side." Toph rolled her eyes, hoping that if she could milk her performance for all it was worth, she just might be able to remain by his side.

"Sokka, please. Do you honestly think that makes me love you?" Toph tried to free herself from his grip, but he moved his other hand to her neck to keep her in place.

"No. I think you love me for a different reason." Toph struggled to keep her pretense up. She hadn't come this far with him to lose him; but his touch was so distracting.

"You are about two steps away from being hit Sokka." Sokka tilted his head to the side, and stared at the soft tendrils of hair covering her eyes.

"So hit me Toph. It would just prove my point." Toph couldn't stop her jaw from opening.

"How would hitting you prove anything?" She asked, momentarily forgetting she was feigning innocence. Sokka laughed and released her from his grip.

"Trust me. I know you Toph." Toph shivered and turned her back on him.

"Right and I love you because you eat a lot of meat, you have a strange style of fighting, and you snore loud-" she paused, realizing she wasn't lying. "Because you...you..." Sokka spun her around and grabbed her chin again. He stared into her eyes briefly before speaking.

"Toph, those are some of my faults. That proves my point!" Toph twisted, trying to get lose of his prying gaze.

"How does that prove anything?" she asked, unable to shake him.

"Because you _know _my faults. You don't look past them. You see them as a part of me, and like you said, you love them." Toph stopped struggling and the fight left her.

"Fine. I love you Sokka. You happy now?" she yelled. Toph waited for him to banish her.

"No, not yet." He leaned down and kissed her. Toph barely had time to react before he pulled away. He pulled her into his arms and sat down, pulling her into his lap.

"What about Suki?" she whispered. Sokka laughed.

"She told me that I could go to Kyoshi and be a warrior and her husband. The catch was that I had to leave you behind." Toph struggled, trying to pull away from him. She had known it was too good to be true. He was kissing her goodbye. "Toph, wait. Would you listen?" Toph stopped moving and began to fight the lump in her throat.

"What?" she muttered, feeling defeated.

"We broke up. I told her that we were a package deal." Toph tilted her head towards him, wishing she could see the sincerity she could feel.

"Are you saying...?" She trailed off, trying to tamp down the growing sense of hope filling her heart. Sokka smiled brightly at the girl who could not see.

"I love you Toph, it's as simple as that." Toph smiled and punched him in the arm.

"I love you too Snoozles." They kissed again, this one lasting longer, and after they pulled apart, Toph smiled. "For the record, I like you better without makeup Sokka." Sokka laughed.

"I think that should have been my line."

**A/N: **Are my readers shocked that this was not depressing? I hope you all liked it. Thank you for reading! Please review!


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